WAYNESBORO – Registered Nurse Noel Kline spoke on the subject of 19th century nursing care. He said nursing is both an art and a science, combining individual care and nurture with evidence-based medical care.
Nursing entered a new era during the Civil War when women, who had previously been discouraged from providing care outside the home, volunteered in increasing numbers to perform care without oversight. One of the leaders was Clara Barton, who later founded the American Red Cross. Dorothy Dix was the first female supervisor of nursing for the American army.
Organizations that became involved included the Catholic Sisters, who trained nurses and operated hospitals, and the Daughters of Charity, an order based in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Among the services the nurses provided were wound care, medications, emotional support and meals for the troops.
In addition to diseases such as dysentery, typhus, malaria, smallpox, measles and tuberculosis, soldiers of the era
were often plagued by fleas, ticks, mites and scabies due to unsanitary conditions. Sexually transmitted diseases were also a problem. Nursing experiences during the war helped lead to better care and greater professionalism in the nursing field.
